Health District and DETR announce opening of Aroma CaféOperated by Client of DETR’s Bureau of Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired

LAS VEGAS – The Southern Nevada Health District and the Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation (DETR) announce the grand opening of the Aroma Café, operated by an individual who is visually impaired, inside the Health District’s main facility located at 280 S. Decatur Blvd, on August 4, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. The event will feature speakers from the Health District and DETR.

The Aroma Café is the result of collaboration between the Health District and DETR’s Business Enterprises of Nevada (BEN) program. The BEN program provides clients of DETR’s Bureau of Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired with training and on-the-job experience in managing food facilities, micro markets, and gift stores in public buildings.

“This partnership and the training component offered by DETR nicely complements the array of programs and services we offer to the public at our main public health center,” said Dr. Joe Iser, Chief Health Officer for the Health District.

There are currently 19 businesses in the southern Nevada and 12 in northern Nevada managed by BEN operators, said Shelley Hendren, administrator for DETR’s Rehabilitation Division. The BEN program operates under the Randolph-Sheppard Act which gives people who are blind the priority right to run vending facilities in government buildings.

“The BEN program is an innovative opportunity for people who are visually impaired or blind to achieve their dream of business ownership while contributing to the economic health of the state,” Hendren said. “We are appreciative of the partnership with government agencies like the Southern Nevada Health District who are dedicated to the success of the facility owners. The operators of these facilities are to be commended for their perseverance and entrepreneurial spirit in successfully completing the rigorous training and evaluations they undergo to prepare them to be business owners.”

The café is open to the public during Health District business hours, Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The menu includes breakfast and lunch options, snacks, daily specials, and is available on the Health District’s website.

The Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation is comprised of the Rehabilitation Division which provides people with disabilities job placement and other workforce-related services, as well as other divisions that provide services to employers and jobseekers.